X-Message-Number: 11775 Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 12:06:26 From: "Henry R. Hirsch" <> Subject: Re: Too Many Organizations? In the 2nd Qtr. 1999 issue of CRYONICS, on p. 29, Charles Platt asks "Since it (cryonics) is such a tiny field, and no one makes any money in it, why are so many companies competing to offer cryonics services?" I believe the answer lies in the cryonics "personality." If you reveal your belief in the ultimate success of cryonics to anyone - family, friends, professional associates, etc. - you are very likely to have your views rejected and to be regarded as an eccentric. It takes a person with extraordinary confidence in his or her own opinions to persist in the face of such opposition. Thus, when such an individual discovers the "right" way to do cryonics, he or she will try to set up an organization to implement it. It is not surprising that we have many - perhaps too many - organizations. This description of the cryonics personality may not fit you, but it certainly applies to me. I have discovered the "right" approach to suspension: freeze drying. Unfortunately, I have located only three other people who have expressed an interest in this technique. Most likely if I could find three more I would be CEO of yet another microcompany. To paraphrase an old joke, "If you put two cryonicists alone on a desert island, inside of a month you will have three service providers." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Henry R. Hirsch Department of Physiology Phone: (606)323-5438 MS508 Chandler Medical Center Fax: (606)323-1070 University of Kentucky E-Mail: Lexington, KY 40536-0298 USA Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=11775